# How are hypodermic needles made? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 10, 2011, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-hypodermic-needles-made/605730 "2011-12-10T13:57:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-hypodermic-needles-made/605730/1 "2011-12-10T13:57:28Z")
Hello, I need weekly injections I was while looking at the needle and wondering how they are made. The are so small that I can’t see the hollow part being drilled or bored out. They can’t be rolled as there is no seam. My wife thinks they are molded. Any clue? ---
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-hypodermic-needles-made/605730/2 "2011-12-10T14:07:43Z")
Sorry for the disaster that was my question. Being tired and typing on my phone isn’t my best skill. It should have read as follows: Hello, I need weekly injections and while looking at the needle, I was wondering how they are made. The are so small that I can’t see the hollow part being drilled or bored out. They can’t be rolled as there is no seam. My wife thinks they are molded. Any clue? Sorry, I missed the edit window. Mods can you delete OP and replace with this post? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-hypodermic-needles-made/605730/3 "2011-12-10T14:08:36Z")
> [@obbn](#): > > Hello, > > I need weekly injections I was while looking at the needle and wondering how they are made. The are so small that I can’t see the hollow part being drilled or bored out. They can’t be rolled as there is no seam. My wife thinks they are molded. Any clue? According to the [Wikipedia page on hypodermic needles](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypodermic_needle#Manufacture) they’re manufactured using a process called [tube drawing.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tube_drawing) > [@](#): > > Tube drawing is a metalworking process to size tube by shrinking a large diameter tube into a smaller one, by drawing the tube through a die. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-hypodermic-needles-made/605730/4 "2011-12-10T14:08:56Z")
[What I wrote is a little dated, but I doubt there’s been any technology advancement in hypodermic needle production since.](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2202/how-do-they-get-the-hole-through-a-hypodermic-needle) ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-hypodermic-needles-made/605730/5 "2011-12-10T14:11:11Z")
You all might notice my article is one of Wikipedia’s sources in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-hypodermic-needles-made/605730/6 "2011-12-10T14:11:58Z")
this is something that people with small hands and near sightedness excel at, drilling out hypodermic needles. a tube is drawn through a die (round shape) which is tapered and the size of the tube is reduced. this is done repeatedly in small increments. ---
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-hypodermic-needles-made/605730/7 "2011-12-10T14:14:13Z")
Wow, unbelievably quick responses! Thanks for the information. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-hypodermic-needles-made/605730/8 "2011-12-10T14:16:30Z")
I’m at work (and there’s someone sitting very close to me) but How It’s Made has done this and [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjIzHPdE6gY) appears to be the clip from it. I haven’t watched it, but IIRC they do show how they make the actual needle itself. ETA…apparently A LOT of people got in there while I was finding that clip. ---
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-hypodermic-needles-made/605730/9 "2011-12-10T14:30:48Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I’m at work (and there’s someone sitting very close to me) but How It’s Made has done this and [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjIzHPdE6gY) appears to be the clip from it. I haven’t watched it, but IIRC they do show how they make the actual needle itself. > > ETA…apparently A LOT of people got in there while I was finding that clip. Thanks wife and I just watched it. Fascinating. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-hypodermic-needles-made/605730/10 "2011-12-15T23:02:09Z")
Yes, tube drawing. Really fine tubing is made for many purposes, not just hypodermic needles. You might also wonder how they mass produce the fine points and other neat little ends on the tubing lengths. I have seen a manufacturing process for this that uses grinding wheels that are also powered with a DC current, with the current path flowing between the wheel and the tubing itself. The coolant used on the wheels is also an appropriate electrolite, and they plate metal off the tubing as they grind it, so a burr never grows. It makes some of the cleanest and neatest cut surfaces you care to imagine, and it’s fast. For some steps they clamp a big bundle of tubes and do the cuts simultaneously on all of them.